Bifidobacterium in the treatment of inflammatory disease

1. An isolated strain of Bifidobacterium NCIMB 41003.

2. The strain of claim 1 in the form of viable cells.

3. The strain of claim 1 in the form of non-viable cells.

4. A formulation comprising the strain of claim 1 .

5. The formulation of claim 4 further comprising at least one further strain of Bifidobacterium.

6. The formulation of claim 4 , further comprising a probiotic material.

7. The formulation of claim 4 , further comprising a prebiotic material.

8. The formulation of claim 4 , further comprising a strain of Lactobacillus salivarius.

9. The formulation of claim 8 , wherein the strain of Lactobacillus salivarius is in the form of viable cells.

10. The formulation of claim 8 , wherein the strain of Lactobacillus salivarius is in the form of non-viable cells.

11. The formulation of claim 8 , wherein the strain of Lactobacillus salivarius is isolated from a resected and washed human gastrointestinal tract and is significantly immunomodulatory following oral consumption in humans.

12. The formulation of claim 11 , wherein the strain of Lactobacillus salivarius inhibits the growth of Gram positive bacteria, Gram negative bacteria, or both.

13. The formulation of claim 12 , wherein the strain of Lactobacillus salivarius secretes a product having antimicrobial activity into a cell-free supernatant that is produced only by growing cells and is destroyed by proteinase K and pronase E, wherein the inhibition of growth and antimicrobial activity are maintained in the presence of physiological concentrations of human bile and human gastric juice.

14. The formulation of claim 8 , wherein the strain of Lactobacillus salivarius is Lactobacillus salivarius strain NCIMB 40829 or a mutant or a variant thereof.

15. The formulation of claim 14 , wherein the mutant is a genetically modified mutant.

16. The formulation of claim 14 , wherein the variant is a naturally occurring variant.

17. The formulation of claim 4 , further comprising an ingestible carrier.

18. The formulation of claim 17 , wherein the ingestible carrier is a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

19. The formulation of claim 18 , wherein the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier is in the form of a capsule, a tablet, or a powder.

20. The formulation of claim 17 , wherein the ingestible carrier is a food product.

21. The formulation of claim 20 , wherein the food product is acidified milk, a yogurt, a frozen yogurt, a milk powder, a milk concentrate, a cheese spread, a dressing, or a beverage.

22. The formulation of claim 4 , further comprising a protein, a peptide, a lipid, a carbohydrate, a vitamin, a mineral, or a trace element.

23. The formulation of claim 22 , wherein the protein or the peptide is rich in glutamine, glutamate, or both.

24. The formulation of claim 4 , wherein the Bifidobacterium is present at more than 10 6 cfu per gram of the formulation.

25. The formulation of claim 4 , further comprising an adjuvant.

26. The formulation of claim 4 , further comprising a bacterial component.

27. The formulation of claim 4 , further comprising a drug entity.

28. The formulation of claim 4 , further comprising a biological compound.

29. The formulation of claim 4 , wherein the formulation is suitable for oral administration to a subject.

30. A foodstuff comprising the strain of Bifidobacterium of claim 1 .

31. A foodstuff comprising the formulation of claim 4 .

32. A pharmaceutical composition comprising the Bifidobacterium strain of claim 1 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

33. A pharmaceutical composition comprising the formulation of claim 4 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.